ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – The Department of Community Affairs and the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency today presented seven agencies with the Governor’s Excellence in Housing Awards. The awards were presented during a luncheon at the 2006 Governor’s Conference on Housing and Community Development at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

“This year’s recipients of the Excellence in Housing Awards have all shown a dedication and commitment to working with their communities and providing housing to those who most need it,” said Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Susan Bass Levin. “ We will continue to raise the bar to ensure that we reach our goal to create and preserve 100,000 units of affordable housing to middle, moderate and low income New Jersey residents.”

The Governor’s Excellence in Housing Awards are awarded annually at the Governor’s Conference on Housing and Community Development. Each year the award categories are in areas that best represent the current housing goals and needs of the state. This year the awards were presented to projects that demonstrated outstanding housing development in the areas of affordable housing, green/sustainable development, community revitalization, and supportive housing.

The award recipients included the Department of Housing and Economic Development for the City of Trenton and RPM Development, Parkside Business and Community in Partnership, Inc. and Pennrose Properties, LLC, Jersey City Housing Authority and Michaels Development, and Advance Housing Inc.

The Department of Housing and Economic Development for the City of Trenton and RPM Development each received an award for Outstanding Affordable Housing Development for the Belvidere Village Housing project. This project is located in the Canal Banks Redevelopment area of Trenton and includes 18 new construction units along with the rehabilitation of 19 formerly dilapidated structures.

Parkside Business and Community in Partnership, Inc. and Pennrose Properties, LLC each received an award for Outstanding Green/Sustainable Development for the Faison Mews project. The Faison Mews project involved the rehabilitation of the Pearlye Building in Camden. New construction along with rehabilitation created a 51-unit senior housing project, which is now fully occupied.

Jersey City Housing Authority and Michaels Development each received an award for Outstanding Community Revitalization for the Pacific Court Town Homes project. Located in Jersey City, the workforce that helped develop Pacific Court Town Homes was 23% Jersey City residents.

Advance Housing Inc. received an award for Outstanding Supportive Housing for their Lakeview Country Homes project. Located in Sparta, Lakeview Country Homes are three single-family homes with three bedrooms that were purchased by Advance Housing to provide a shared living housing arrangement for 9 homeless individuals with mental illness.

For more information on the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency call 609-278-7400, or log on to http://www.nj.gov/dca/hmfa/.